


1x01 "Ways Of The Wild"

by hanarmontana



Series: Armello: The Blood Of Sinners [1]
Category: Armello (Video Game)
Genre: Action/Adventure, Alternate Universe, Gen, Other
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-16
Updated: 2019-04-16
Packaged: 2020-01-14 20:46:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,380
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18484030
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hanarmontana/pseuds/hanarmontana
Summary: River, The Howling Arrow, was once the Wolf Clans most respected member. But that's all changed. Wolf Clan is now but a distant memory as she and Magna live out their days amongst the wilds, scrounging for food and water, helping those they can, and trying to just live a danger free life. Little do they know that there are more dangers than just that of politics and the life they left behind; but before long, River finds herself in being pulled in many directions, including that of Horace, The Iron Poet, and Sylas, Fisher Of Souls, unsure where either will lead her.





	1x01 "Ways Of The Wild"

River had grown used to eating only the finest food, so to now be cooking small insects and potatoes roasted over a small fire in the middle of the wilds...it was a little hard for her to adjust to. She'd once been the highest respected of the Wolf Clan, invited to the kingdom many times over as their representative to the King, but these days she mostly stayed in the wilds, with Magna, to avoid any sort of interaction with those from that world, and her own clan as well. River slid a beetle off a stick and crunched into it, glancing over at the sleeping body of her friend, Magna, wondering how they felt about all this. Leaving hadn't exactly been Magna's choice, rather, it'd been a decision she'd made to help keep River safe out here; laughable, like she couldn't keep herself safe, when she'd already kept the entirety of the Wolf Clan safe for years. The thought insulted her. Yet...the wilds were seemingly more dangerous in different ways than that of the kingdoms, and so perhaps Magna had a point, outside of simply doing it because she was her friend.  
  
Yes, it was a different life out here. A calmer one, at times, and a more dangerous one at others, but she preferred it. She preferred to be judged by her own standards that the rigid standards of those in her clan, in the Kingdom, in the world of Armello in general. Everyone lacked a code of honor now, not that River herself had been that great at maintaining her own either, but it irked her, the idea of bandits running amok and clans turning on one another. It wasn't always like this, but it seemed to be getting worse, and that was why River had abandoned it. She just couldn't see herself trying to be upstanding and civil when everyone else wasn't. So instead, she abandoned that life and moved into the wilds, instead helping those in surrounding settlements and doing what good she could for the lower class citizens of Armello. Why Magna had decided to come with was still somewhat of a mystery, but perhaps she'd always wanted to do the same and admired River for taking the leap? River didn't know. She couldn't exactly put her paw on it, though she had her theories. River looked up at the moon, breaking into slivers of pale light that slipped between the cracks oft he treetops above, and let it fall on her face. She shut her eyes and exhaled, eating another bug.  
  
Maybe things wouldn't be that bad out here. She had a friend, they had food and they had a purpose. Maybe this was the life she was always meant to have.  
  
Maybe this was what living really was.

* * *

"What do you mean you don't have it?" the otter asked, clearly agitated now, "I asked you to bring me one thing, one, and you can't even accomplish that?"  
  
"It's not as easy as you think," the merchant crow replied, "It...it was protected."  
  
"Oh, like that stops anyone," the otter said, a hint of snark in his tone, as he lifted his mead and sipped, "What sort of protection? Guards? With their little spears and their sad, feather capped helmets?"  
  
The crow looked around, leaned in, and whispered, "Magic."  
  
This got the otters attention. The otter, Sylas, turned and set his mug back down on the table, now certainly more interested; he raised a brow and asked, "Magic? What sort of magic?"  
  
"The...the glowy kind," the crow, Jeremiah, responded, "The kind that can kill you. Understandably, you can see why that might've put me off, I would imagine."  
  
"I'm paying you a lot of gold here," Sylas said, standing up and opening a small brown satchel on his belt loop, removing a few coins from it and tossing them onto the tables. He started to walk past Jeremiah, but stopped and leaned in, bearing a few fangs, and added, "Do not let me down again. Magic or not, you will bring me what I requested, or I'll see to it that each and every feather is plucked from your body and you are boiled alive. Clear?"  
  
"Y...yeah," Jeremiah said, swallowing his nerves, "Yeah, certainly, I will finish the job. No need for threats, sir."  
  
Sylas turned and left the inn, leaving Jeremiah alone. He sighed and wiped his forehead with a wing before looking at the last of his drink, picking up the mug and finishing it before putting it back down on the table, along with his face. Being a merchant wasn't supposed to be this tough, you were supposed to hawk gaudy wares, cheap trinkets, but now he was being asked to, essentially, steal something of great value, and he would face death if he succeeded and death if he failed. Why had he even agreed to this? Oh, right, the gold. It was always about the gold. Monetary gain seemed to be one of the few things the Kingdom acknowledged these days, and if he ever wanted to open his own shop, he'd need the cash to back it.  
  
"Damn riverdog," Jeremiah muttered under his breath, "Oh, just get it, who cares if it's surrounded by magic, what are you, dumb?" he added in a mocking tone.

* * *

It was the sound of screaming that awoke River.  
  
She rose quickly, grabbed her sword and rushed towards it fast as she could, even if she were unsure of the exact direction. After a few minutes, she stopped and perched on top of a large rock, her ears upward, waiting...listening. There it was again, that piercing scream, and she took off anew, this time certain of where it was coming from. River rushed past bushes and fallen logs, only to find, in a small clearing, a group of three rats in torn up rags, who had their knives fixed on a badger laying on the dirt, surrounding her. She pulled her sword and the rats turned to her, each one snarling, their eyes smoky, swirls of black and purple. This was...unusual. Nevertheless, she didn't let it stop her.  
  
"Back away!" she stated loudly, "Lest ya want my blade in your side!"  
  
The rats didn't speak back, but instead looked around, then scampered off. That was also unusual. Generally creatures put up a fight, especially vermin. River watched them head off into the forest of the wilds, and then casually stepped off the log she'd been standing on and reached out to help the young badger maiden up from the ground. The badger maiden wiped the mud and dust off herself and looked at River, blushing, like she was embarrassed.  
  
"I'm so sorry," she said, "I'm usually fairly good at keeping myself safe, but they came out of nowhere and they-"  
  
"You don't have to apologize," River replied, waving her paw in the air dismissively, "It's what I'm out here to do."  
  
"They looked so angry," the badger maiden said, "I'm Lorna, by the way."  
  
"They did look particularly vicious, and they didn't speak," River said, sheathing her sword, "Not that I'd have much interest in anything they'd have to say."  
  
"Certainly," Lorna said, chuckling, "What're you doing out here?"  
  
"Helping," River said, "It's what I do. What are you doing out here?"  
  
"Apparently failing," Lorna remarked, "My father sent me out here to train, but...I'm not very good with weapons, honestly. Must be rather embarrassing for him, seeing as he's such a revered arms master himself."  
  
"Your father?" River asked, unlatching the flask that hung from her belt loop, unscrewing the cap and sipping it.  
  
"Horace, The Iron Poet," Lorna said, "Not that he'd like to be seen as someone with power, heavens knows."  
  
"You are far from bandit territory," River said, but Lorna shook her head.  
  
"No, no, he...he is not longer associated with the Bandit Clan," she said, "No, he left that life a while ago. You are right, I'm far away from badger territory in general, but no, please do not think of my father in that light. He is decent."  
  
"I believe you, you need not try so hard to convince me of what I already believe to be," River said, "If you'd like, my friend and I can escort you back to your land."  
  
"That would be nice," Lorna said, smiling as she gathered her things.  
  
"We're staying just over here," River said, heading back through the woods, "Trust me, I'll make sure no more dirty rats try and harm you."

* * *

Jeremiah was stopped, waiting for a cart to pass him by so he could continue, when he heard a familiar voice beside him.

"Lookit!" Barnaby said, holding up a small compass to Jeremiah, who merely glanced at it and looked ahead again, not saying a word; Barnaby continued, "I made it last night! It...it comes apart, see, it's a compass, but you can easily pull it apart and then it be pulled apart and the inside can be used to pick locks and stuff!"

"That's very interesting," Jeremiah said, in a most uninterested voice.

"You hate it," Barnaby said, sounding sad, now making Jeremiah sigh and shake his head. He knelt down and put a wing behind Barnaby, patting his back.

"I don't hate it, lad," Jeremiah said, "I just have a lot of things on my mind right now. I think it's very useful, ay, and I'm glad to see you still working on things."

"Where are you going?" Barnaby asked, following Jeremiah, who was now continuing his way to the front gate since the carts had moved.

"If you must know, I'm going somewhere extremely dangerous that the likes of you are not to be in," Jeremiah said, pulling up on the strap around one of his shoulders, ruffling his tail feathers.

"Why can't I be there?" Barnaby asked.

"Because you can't," Jeremiah said, "You're...too...good. Yeah, that'll work. You're of too good a heart, too pure a soul, this place I'm headed, it's a place for deviants, a place for the seedy underbelly of Armello, and they would never, ever, allow you in. It's too dangerous and I simply won't allow you to put yourself into harms way."

"That's not fun," Barnaby said, kicking the dirt in front of them as they walked, "I'm not scared of anything!"

"That's half the problem, son," Jeremiah said.

"Just let me come with you, I swear I-"

"I don't need anyone to-" Jeremiah said, interrupting, before hearing someone shout from the walls surrounding the settlement. He and Barnaby looked up to see another rabbit standing up on the wall and shouting at everyone, but they couldn't make out what he was saying. Before they knew it, a dozen or more flaming arrows were headed over the walls and one struck an older mouse standing beside them, catching him on fire. Jeremiah was in shock, but he quickly turned and raced off into the crowd, hiding behind a hut. Screaming was coming from all directions, everybody running every which way. Jeremiah stuck his beak out from behind the hut and glanced about, watching mice and badgers and moles all run into their homes, trying to escape the flaming arrows. Some were not so lucky. Some were laying on the ground, on fire, shrieking and trying to put themselves out. Jeremiah then noticed Barnaby hiding behind a tipped over cart. Jeremiah groaned and quickly got up and raced across the grounds, skidding towards the cart and stopping in front of Barnaby, who looked up at him in joy.

"You came back for me!" he said.

"Let's not make it a regular thing!" Jeremiah said, wrapping his wings around Barnaby and taking off back towards the hut, when he felt the worst pain in his right wing. An arrow had been shot clean through, and he let go of Barnaby, forcing him to roll behind the hut while Jeremiah himself raced to a well right next to the hut and dipped his wing in a bucket of water, exclaiming in pain and relief. He looked back at Barnaby, who was now looking out from behind the hut as the gates to the settlement opened and in walked a large army of rats, vicious looking rats, hazy purple eyes and dirtied fur. Jeremiah then felt a paw on his shoulder and he turned to see Sylas standing in front of him.

"What're you-" he started when Sylas put his paw over Jeremiah's beak and shook his head, then lowered his own voice to a hushed whisper and spoke.

"Come with me," he said, "I know a back way out, I got a boat right by the docks, we'll be clear of here before anyone knows what happened."

"I...alright, okay," Jeremiah said, but then turned back and grabbed Barnaby by the arm and tugged, "Come on, we're leaving."

"Who are those rats?" Barnaby asked.

"As if I would know that!" Jeremiah replied, "Just be quiet and keep your head down, we'll be fine."

And with that, Sylas, Jeremiah and Barnaby headed towards the docks.

* * *

River and Lorna were quickly approaching Rivers campsite, where they could smell the faint hint of a campfire. River figured this meant that Magna had awoke and started an early lunch for them. River wasn't quite sure what to say to Lorna, or if she could say anything at all, given who she hailed from. What if she said the wrong thing? Could Lorna have her killed? Lorna didn't seem the type to do something so horrid, especially after having just been saved by River scant moments ago.

"Whatever that is, it smells just fine," Lorna said, her nose in the air, sniffing around.

As they came into the clearing, they saw Magna sitting on a log, and standing next to the fire was someone in a cloak. River pulled her sword, and Lorna gripped her axe, but Magna waved her paw at them, indicating that this person was of no danger to them. The cloaked figured reached up and, paws on their hood, pulled it down. River gasped as her eyes fell upon another wolfs face.

"Hello," Thane said, "It's good to see you again, River."

 


End file.
